WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR SEPTEMBER 2014

10547868_10203885382128278_7078546971448846101_o Me 2011 I hope this works. It's a picture of me in 2011 that I took from a video Michelle made. This shows the old me. I started my diet in Oct 2012 and this was 2/2011

I am angry at Directv right now. Well I don't know if I am angry at Directv or our local NBC affilliate. But they can'tr each an aggreement so NBC is off the air for us. I did manage to watch American Ninja Warrior on my Ipad. Tomorrow I will watch America's got talent. But Im not sure if I can get Wheel of fortune and Jeopardy but I think those are reruns right now.

Joyce, Indiana

Nope it didn't work. Do I need a jPG or one of those initial things in front of it?

Meg - don't forget to take care of YOU
leith, Denise - welcome!
Sylvia - for future knowledge, there is this lotion called "Ivy Block". I got it at CVS previously. You can put it on before you think you might be exposed to p.i. and it really does help to keep the p.i. from getting on you. I know it's too late now, but just to know for the future. Honestly, I don't know if I could ever use the tobacco remedy, either. Not because I question if it would work, but because I have such a strong aversion to any tobacco. Even in my young age, before the ACS related smoking to death, I related the two. My mother was a heavy smoker and one of my strongest memories of her was her always having a cigarette. So glad you got some relief. Wonder what the predisone is supposed to do? An intiinflamatory, maybe?

dianne - I've been on the platuau for quite a while, too. I'm beginning to think this is just the weight my body wants me to be at, since almost nothing I do will drop it. But that pesky weight comes on so so fast.

Diane - I had forgotten about the feliway! I believe we have a sample of it. Thanks for reminding me of it. This morning I was petting Lance and felt this "lump". I wasn't sure if it was a mat or what. He backed away from me as soon as I tried to grasp that area. It turned out that it was just a thick part of his collar. Lance has two "safe places". Whenever he's in them, even tho I can see him, if I go to even pet him, I get hissed at and swiped at. So I just know that if he's in either of those spaces, just leave him alone. Any other time he's so very loving. Like just now I went to the bathroom and he was rubbing up against me. On the days when I don't give him his insulin, I honestly don't see any increase in water comsumption, urine output, he's not gaining weight, etc. So I'm wondering if it isn't possible that he's gone into remission. I do need to buy them more food (I just like to have a bag here) plus food for our cats, so I'm definitely going to check out the Feliway. I know we have a sample, but I seem to recall that it's some sort of wipe because I remember thinking "oh, we can just wipe down the inside of the cage when one of them goes to the vet". Believe me, I would rather pay $20 and not have to fight him for the insulin. He needs it but I won't put myself in jeopardy. I love finding bargains at the Goodwill or Salvation Army. I do find that the Goodwill by me is usually higher priced that the SA. Years ago I got this set of "12 days of Christmas" china and at the SA I found a full set of glasses to match for $7. Replacements wanted almost $2 per glass, that would have been $24. What a good buy! The glasses I got were brand new, never used. I just had to wash them good

Joyce - remember I was having trouble posting pics of our pool? Well, I found that the easiest way is to add it to my library here rather than posting. I could never figure out how to do it and no one told me. So now that's where I'll post my pics and people will just have to click on my photo to see it. Direct TV just had some sort of problem with a station in my area, too. Can't remember if it was NBC or CBS, but someone wasn't broadcasting.

mimi - Vince just had cataract surgery. When they did the second eye his comment was "this is the first time ever that I've been looking forward to surgery" He's 20/20 in one eye and the other is still healing. However, he will need reading glasses for close up work. But his eyesight is much much much better. I know you'll do well. His eyesight before the surgery was pretty bad, let me tell you. We're talking coke glasses here.

Well, I will make this short and sweet since right now I'm on my laptop.

Michele in NC

Good morning! Beautiful sunny weather here in the south of England.:happy: I'm so glad it is nice weather for our DGC 's visit.:bigsmile:

DH has gone out to get his hair cut snd to do some shopping.:bigsmile: This is very unusual as this is his writing time of day and it is sacrosanct. I think he has finally clocked that I was getting a bit stressed out and didn't really appreciate that he has been out three full days at sporting fixtures. I was a bit narky at him last evening and he was so upset he broke a cup! By the time I came back from the beer tasting, which was an excellent talk by a very local boutique brewery, I was in a better mood.:laugh: I know everything will get done and it doesn't matter if it doesn't, but I feel better if I think he is pulling his weight and his presence just calms me down.:bigsmile: Today I am going to get the worst of the weeds out of the way. I can do some seed sowing while DGS is here and he can "help". :laugh: DH will mow the lawn and pick MORE plums. He prepares them for the freezer. It has been a BUMPER year for plums. This morning I got DGS'S bed pulled out and made up with his dinosaur linen :laugh: and sorted out the cot for DGD. Set up the high chair and put DGS'S booster chair on. So we are ready for when they sll arrive tonight! Oh, and I've got the smelly cheese, (a goat's milk Camembert) out of the fridge to warm up! ! !:bigsmile: Must make some more watercress puree to add to the soup.

Feeling better now!:laugh:

Mimi - sorry to hear about your mum.:flowerforyou: Sounds like she has a problem. My mother called the emergency services for a similar pain and they had to break in. She ended up with a triple bypass at the age of 81 and did amazingly well.

MA - I think it was you with the father who had the kidney op. Sounds incredible that they did that without an anaesthetic! ! ! ! Glad he is doing well. If you read Strong Women Stay Young it has some good suggestions for rehabilitation exercises for old people. Very encouraging. We can regain a lot of function at any age and there is such a lot we can do at home instead of having to go to physio.

Michele - with the chick peas I am not very fussy about skins, so some would have them still on and some not. But it's ages since I cooked any. I might have a go again as you've reminded me.:flowerforyou: I adore hummus and make a slightly more slimming version without oil. But it does have tahini. I only make it very occasionally as I find it difficult to resist. I eat it with crudités.
The soup I am making for my DS and DDIL is cannellini beans from tins and watercress. Sauteed onion of course and Christmas turkey stock. I think it needs a drop of lemon juice.

Right, must get dressed and on with things,

Heather in sunny Hampshire UK

Sylvia – what a drag, but glad you know, yes it can be transferred by a dog… WASH you clothes, bedding, towels or you can give it to yourself. I had a very bad case a few years back, and now seem to get it easier...

Karen – welcome, I lived in Bellows Falls, Vermont for a short time in 1980 – Loved it – where do you live?

Heather – I love falafels, had a friend who made them everytime I was over and I have not made them; but I have his recipe…hmmmm think they were baked…. I will be looking that up.

MA – how exciting that your son is coming our way! And teaching him to drive there will barely help him here – when I was in the UK I found driving on the other side of the road was so so hard! What a tough time with your Dad – so glad he is doing so much better.

381Annie – sounds like you are taking the steps to re-invent yourself.

YannieJannie – Lean Cuisine and other of the “frozen” meals have great names and pictures but rarely measures up. :drinker: I am happier with something out of my freezer

Margaret – what a cute picture!

DeeDee – how exciting a month of no repair/remodel/painting people!!!

8of10- welcome

Meg – take care!

Lkeith2 – bump is a “place holder” so it is easier to find your place in the thread.

So here is the eggplant recipe - It could be made healthier with low fat coconut milk and with low sodium stir fry sauce....

Quick Braised Eggplant with Coconut Milk and scallions
1/8 cup canola oil
1 medium onion, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/4 pounds Asian or Italian eggplants (about 4), cut into 3-by-1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup Chinese cooking wine, sake or water
1/2 cup Vietnamese Stir-fry Sauce
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk, stirred just before using
2 teaspoons Asian chili paste
4 large scallions, white and tender green parts only, cut into 3/4-inch lengths
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1. Heat the canola oil in a large skillet or a wok until small puffs of smoke begin to appear. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry over high heat until the onion is just crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Add the eggplant and stir-fry until browned in spots and just tender, about 5 minutes. Add the Chinese cooking wine and cook until nearly evaporated, about 1 minute. Add the Vietnamese Stir-fry Sauce, water, coconut milk, cornstarch and chili paste. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is very tender and the sauce is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes longer. Add the scallions and cook for 30 seconds. Serve the eggplant hot.
Makes 3, 1 cup servings 257calories; 16 carbs, 19 fat, 2 protein, 4,973 sodium

September goals:
Stretch 5 minutes 8 times
Walk 100 miles -6.55 = 93.45 to go
Do 4 errands walking (from home or a 15 minute walk from the place the car is parked)
Do Heather’s abc balance 2 time a week


Kim from N. California

morning again ladies~
went out for almost a 4 mile walk.. got a call from my DB that a childhood friend of ours has passed away, I dont have details yet, but there is a wake and funeral in my future
well i have laundry in the dryer and as soon as that is out have to run the key up and leave for my brother check on the DFIL and then home for a shower and off to work..

I briefly considered joining a Boot Camp, but with travel for work I would miss half of the classes. Not worth it. I have decided to put the money for the class in my savings account, and do my own "boot camp". If I lose 10 pounds, that money will be mine for my bead stash.

I have again learned to just go straight to the gym. If I don't, I get home and there is always something that interferes with my plans.

Progress, BF has agreed to join the gym and do water aerobics with me. I begged him, and bribed him. We will sign up tonight.

Hi, Ladies!

Got back from my lovely weekend in San Diego and straight into a week from h-e-double-toothpick. No time to catch up on reading and post, but I am keeping up on logging food into MFP. I think I managed NOT to gain. We are going again this weekend as DH has a dental appointment in Los Algodones, which is half way to San Diego, on Friday. My exercising has suffered a bit, but got in a lot of walking over the weekend. I guess I need a pedometer, to see how far I go.

Keep up the good work!

Kitty in Phoenix

Good Morning Ladies!:flowerforyou:

Since we’ve been home from our vacations and since we had such a very hectic summer, I’ve been a little introspective. Because it is so easy for me to sink into a depression thinking about all the negative and stressful things going on :mad: :noway: :ohwell: :sad: , one of the things that I’ve decided to do was to have one positive reflection e:happy: ach day. So for today I am making all of you my positive reflection. I am so happy to enjoy your thoughts and support!:flowerforyou:

Cynthia: Hugs for your fur baby.:flowerforyou: Hope he heals quickly.

MA: Congratulations for your son passing his driving test. We will look forward to seeing him over here. Just two weeks ago it was brought to my attention that my license had expired in 2013 and I had to take the written and driving test. I failed the written test on the first day, spent the evening studying and passed both the next morning. Phew! I hope to never put myself through that again. My next expiration date is 2022! Congrats on your Dad’s recovery and on his mobility scooter! The SO and I are absolutely dreading the day my mom (80) and his dad (88) are forced to stop driving.:sad:

Anniebr: Sending hugs!:flowerforyou: I too am an emotional eater and especially as it relates to negative feelings and punishing myself for a variety of feelings. Over the past few years I have taught myself to face the emotion, dissect it, make a very primary assessment of (1) did I do the best I could; (2) is this my issue; (3) what could I have done differently; and (4) acceptance of my feelings. I had to make a conscious decision to go find some sort of exercise to do before I had the first potato chip, brownie, cookie, etc. Usually by the time I finished the exercise the urge to gorge had passed.

DeeDee: You are making great progress! I would love a lipstick red table so I am sure the GDs will too.

8of10: Welcome! :flowerforyou: Great starting goals. Of all the things in the world to not eat, potato chips are my favorite. I just try to limit my intake to 1 serving a day maximum. Keep us posted on your progress. Sending you support!

Sylvia: The SO is extremely allergic to poison ivy which is quite an allergy for someone with a lawn and tree care business. :sad: Over the years I have found that old fashioned lye soap works the best. I generally have to wait for the state fair to come and buy several bars from the crafts workers to keep on hand. He covers himself with the lather and lets it dry on. Thankfully I am not allergic to it because it is really contagious and easily carried. Hope you are better soon!

Mimi: Sending you hugs and prayers!:flowerforyou:

Tere in RVA

Denise – good luck with your self control – I would need to not have that in the house. :laugh: :laugh:

Lesley – sounds like council rates are a variety of taxes that we would pay in USA; our cities money comes out of property taxes, sales taxes, and some fees …. It is so interesting to hear how other places do it.

Mimi – welcome back; it is tough to miss a few days, all the catching up! :happy: Great NSV of processed vs homemade food… I have been finding that too…. Although I was never huge into processed food…

Alison - sorry to hear about DF and the loss - sending {{{hugs}}}}

Heather – glad you are feeling a bit more organized… amazing how some things can just throw one off…

Karen – Burlington, farther north than I was… but I loved my stay; although I was very lonely it was a small town and as a single college kid doing an internship there was not much to do… the only thing in town that stayed open past 8pm was the laundry mat…. :noway:

Lesley in UK – great job on walking and swimming! I bet just by cooking healthy and dragging DH with you on walks he’ll get in better shape too.

Softblondechick – I walk as soon as I am up about 5:30-6am like you, at that hour no one is coming up with other things you should do.

Sylvia – how are you doing on the walking challenge?

Kitty – glad to see you, I just recently got a fitbit (I got mine used as they are pricy) but love it; and as I just finished my first week it send me an email with a weeks worth of consolidated stats… very informative.

Tere – I love your assessment questions especially “is this my issue” such a good one!

Levi and I walk in the morning and walk past an elementary school (5-10 year old kids) and they have a big fenced field that he loves to run in off lead... well all summer it has been closed, they added 6 new classrooms, and redid the irrigation and added a basketball area... It just reopened :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: so today off lead and running like the wind- Levi was so happy. we get there when no one is around so no other dog issues --- but I could not bear to take him away from his fun to quick so figured out how to use the play equipment to do stretching! this will (I hope) become my new morning routine...:happy:

September goals:
Stretch 5 minutes 8 times 1 done
Walk 100 miles -11.43 = 88.57 to go
Do 4 errands walking (from home or a 15 minute walk from the place the car is parked)
Do Heather’s abc balance 2 time a week – 1 done


Kim from N. California

Good morning all,

Had to put in a sick day yesterday, overdid on Monday with lawn care, house cleaning and so on, and got rewarded with a solid headache. Lots of sleep and rest got me back on track.

Today back to the gym, not my most stellar workout, but I got up and showed up and I got it done.
Tonight hopefully some dancing - I am in urgent need of some fast two steps!

I wish everybody a great day - have to request some time to read up on all the posts, please!

Mon

Welcome back, Pen2U. Gaining only 8 lbs back after maintaining for 3 years is actually a huge victory. I'm glad you got on it so quickly. Yay you!!
Mimi

Good Morning Friends,

Just came across the quote,"Even during a tragedy the sun is shining somewhere." It helps me keep my perspective.

Just came back from lawyer to work out details of our trust. Overall went fairly smoothly.

Today I will continue to work on portion control so tomorrow I will be closer to maintaining my weight.

2014 word: contentment

Thanks for all the welcomes! Here’s what’s going on in my neck of the woods today:

There’s a lot of sweet autumn clematis vine growing around our neighborhood, and it’s blooming now. It smelled so nice when DH and I took our walk this morning. And, my feet didn’t hurt during the whole walk, which was a nice surprise. I’ve finally learned to give the feet a break, and alternate walking with other aerobic exercises like the stationary bike at the gym, or one of my DVDs. I don’t know whether it’s an age thing or I need better sneakers.

It occurred to me that I could try using bottled fat-free ranch dressing in my tuna salad, instead of mayonnaise. It’s only 25 calories for 2 tablespoons, vs. 120 calories for what I usually use, Hellman’s Olive Oil Mayonnaise. I tried it yesterday for the first time, and had the leftovers today. It was just fine. The only other ingredient I used was a little chopped onion.

Heather in Hampshire – Thanks for mentioning the spinach pie recipe; I’ve bookmarked it. My mother loves the filling in spinach pie, but never eats the crust anyway. I should make some of this and take it over for lunch at her house sometime.

Kayak_Kutie - I remember seeing ads on tv for the Bodyblade years back, but completely forgot about it. Now you’ve made me google it! Their website mentions using it in group exercise classses, so I wondered, do you use it at home by yourself, or do you take a class?

To those who aren’t feeling well, or have family members or pets who are under the weather, hugs to all.

evening ladies~ home from work, and it went fine.. got 16,000 steps today after my walk this morning and work today so that is good.. having my slimming tea,my DH calls it something else and he said he was going to start charging me for water use:laugh:
we have been getting along well lately which is a good thing.. just texted my SIL and my poor DB is nasty and snapping at them, but they understand why.. he just lost on of his best childhood friends and I give him alot of credit he hasnt picked up a drink...
going to get my hair cut tomorrow and drop Homer off at the groomers, then to bring up my DB birthday card... we will do something at a later date with this sad news no one is in the mood for a party

Just popping in to say hi. Still struggling with the depression but it is not as bad as it could be. I did my J Michaels workout today, have 13,000 steps so far, and have been exceptionally good with eating this week. I'll need it since I'm going to visit my parents this weekend!

My open house is this Saturday so I've got to come home tomorrow with enough energy to do some cleaning. Nothing is in bad shape since it's just me, but this house seems to breed dust! I'm thinking that a good dusting, vacuuming, and sweeping should do it. And, mopping the kitchen...

Off to eat my evening snack and then make an early night of it. Sleep has been elusive.

Well wishes to those who are sick or struggling and kiddos to those finding success!

Carol in stormy NC